The idea for this post came from J. Did you know that he follows all of your blogs, too? He does. He just doesn't comment. I guess that makes him a lurker! But he really enjoys reading about everyone and their crazy lives - and knowing that we are not alone.
He said to me the other night, "You should post about all the crazy things people say to us that they would NEVER say to someone with cancer. It's just ludicrous that people think it's ok to say that stuff to us, ya' know?"
And so this post was born. He helped write it. So it's his, too!
Before I begin, let's get something straight. Cancer sucks. It scares the shit out of me. (And I'm sorry for the curse word but poop does not do it justice). Cancer is a horrible disease. I do not think that diabetes is worse than cancer or better than cancer - just another horrible disease. The idea behind this post is to show how insensitive people can be when it comes to diabetes. It is not to make light or less of cancer in anyway. We need a CURE. For BOTH diseases.
How many times has someone said something totally thoughtless to you? Something so totally off the wall that you wonder if their brain is working?
It happens. All. The. Time.
Here are some common things we hear - only applied to cancer.
"So, will she grow out of that leukemia?"
"If you hadn't eaten so much candy and fast food, you wouldn't have gotten cancer."
"At least it's easy to control your cancer."
"Maybe you should exercise more. I'm sure that will take care of it!"
"Have you tried Cinnamon? It will clear that cancer right up!"
"At least she got it young."
"It's so good that she got it so young. She'll never remember life before."
"Well, it's her life now. I guess she'll just learn to deal with it."
Can you imagine saying any of these things to a cancer patient? No way.
So WHY is it ok to say these things to someone with diabetes?
I think it because so many people are so totally uneducated about this disease. I think it's because the media rarely differentiates between Type 1 and Type 2. I think it's because diabetes is not seen as fatal - even though it kills more people each year than cancer and Aids combined. I think it's because people think diabetes is easy, controllable, NO BIG DEAL.
The best/worst (depending on how you look at it) example of this that I have I wrote about in my post, Dear Saleslady at Macy's. Check it out HERE.
That's why Diabetes Awareness Month is so important. It's up to US to spread the word.
That diabetes is:
Serious.
Life Threatening.
Not Curable.
Takes a lot of TIME and MONEY to treat.
Is not easily controlled.
Does not go away with diet or exercise.
Not something you grow out of.
Diabetes is a serious disease. You don't mess around with it - or it will get you. Even when you do everything right, it can still get you. It's a disease to be reckoned with. It hides, lurks, pretends to be innocuous. Which makes it that much more dangerous.
Then, I read about an article in The Onion, titled Group of Children with Diabetes All Die One Day After hearing Jay Cutler Speak. What?
I get the fact that it's supposed to be funny. A satire. That it's what The Onion does.
Whatever.
I don't think it's funny. I don't think that it's because I can't take a joke.
I think it's because my CHILD actually DYING from DIABETES is my REALITY. And that's not funny. It's real. It's serious. It's my nightmare.
It's why we get up countless times to check during the night. It's why we've had very, very little sleep this past week.
So... in Kelly's words... #MAJOR FAIL!
And I'm not alone...
You can read Kelly Kunik's letter to editor HERE.
You can read Leighann's take HERE.
We know the truth. Let's make sure everyone else does, too!
omg. My husband who loves satires is disgusted and beyond pissed. I think we need to launch a campaign or something against this. Thank you for posting.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, love this post. I, too, have heard EVERY one of the above sayings from a friend, a neighbor, or a casual acquaintance. It hurts.
ReplyDeleteAND. I clicked on the article from your shared link on FB and was horrified.
I just had a lady in the grocery checkout mention the cinnamon comment to me. UGH! As for The Onion? Complete ignorance on their part. Like you, I can take a joke, but there is nothing funny about the fight for our children's lives.
ReplyDeleteBravo, Hallie!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, my friend.
BTW, I'm pretty sure there's some sort of drink/pill concoction that will clear that cancer right up as well.
The Onion thing really ticked me off! Not funny. NOT AT ALL!
There has to be a line, ya know......this one crossed it!
Amen, Sister!! Shout it loud. We need EVERYONE to know.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby reads the onion and he didn't find that article funny at all. I agree with Wendy, they crossed a line.
Great post, I never thought of it that way (how you wouldn't say those things to someone with cancer).
ReplyDeleteAnd The Onion... I'm beyond disgusted. Someone needs to kick that writer in the groin asap.
Hate to be the nay-sayer...but people say shit things to everybody. This is what I have found to be more true than anything.
ReplyDeleteWhen my sister-in-law learned that her daughter would need her daughter's leg amputated somebody said, well at least it's not her arm.
When my father-in-law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer one of his friends sent him a book titled, "How to Treat and Cure Cancer through Diet."
I believe that these comments are solely stated so that the commenter feels that they are safe from the disease/cancer because they have this special idea or knowledge. As if they've justified how it's come into our lives and now they can move on.
It all sucks.
Also, wanted to thank you for sharing the link on the Onion. I appreciate the opportunity to set things like that straight